STRAIN is not your typical survival game. While you may find yourself scavenging for resources, crafting equipment, preparing meals to restore hunger and sanity, or fighting off hostile scavengers, there is more to this world than what you see on the surface.
Factions rule the city from within inescapable walls. You must befriend others, build reputation to factions and prove yourself through faction-specific challenges to join them. These factions can help you in different ways, but who you choose to join will change the course of your life and others' along the way.
The Procedural City
Parts of the world will change with each playthrough. While key locations remain the same, all the shops, restaurants, offices and homes are different each time. Each requiring a different level type of lock breaking or lockpicking to enter. Within them are relevant items needed to survive, for example, in an Italian restaurant you'll be likely to find tomato sauce, olive oil and flour. In a clothing store, you may find shirts which can be used to craft cloth for new items and base upgrades.
Complex Interactions
Characters are found in different places each day, reaching them depends on which areas you have access to. When you speak to someone when you're not well, they will know. If you're friends, they'll give you something to help. Everyday you have a chance to build or diminish your relationship through a new conversation. They may comment on what you're wearing, something you've done or discuss something about the area you're in or the activity they were doing. If you're very close, you'll be able to invite them over to spend more time together.
Base Upgrades, Crafting and Cooking
Your home base is where you sleep, craft, cook, bath, etc. The more you upgrade your base, the slower hygiene or other stats will go down or completing an action, such as sleeping, will improve yours stats faster over time while doing the action.
Combat
You may come across other scavengers who have claimed the building to loot. They will fight you off, so you need to be prepared when entering buildings and choosing which ones are worth the risk of the fight. You may also encounter hostile faction members in the streets or raiding your building. And of course, if you choose to participate, you can fight to the death in The Pit. With no guns available in the city, you must resort to hand to hand combat or hand held weapons you can find, craft and upgrade.
Raiders
Your home is where you keep your valuables if you want to use them later. The best spot is your secure storage unit. Upgrading this and your door will lower the risk of raiders being able to access your items to steal. You can also board up windows in the building to prevent break ins.
Branching Storylines
The story will change based on decisions you make with character interactions, who you choose to side with, which faction you join and the relationships you form along the way. These branches will affect the story as well as the game play.
